His Best Kept Secret
by The Steel Phoenix Alchemist
Summary: With the death of her mother, and an always stupid decision, young Raine finds herself shipped off to Central to live with her estranged father, one Roy Mustang, the Fuhrer. She is his best kept secret.  Author Note: OC story
1. Chapter 1: New Beginnings

There she stood, head down, hands at her sides, a few stray tears came from her eyes as she watched them. They buried her mother. A mysterious illness had killed the woman, leaving the fourteen-year-old girl behind.

She glanced around, from left to right. Of course he wouldn't be there. He was always too busy for his own daughter. Then again, being the Fuhrer was a demanding job.

It wasn't like she was _supposed_ to exist.

She didn't even have his last name.

You would have to know the story to know she was even related to him.

Raine Carsten sighed as her grandfather squeezed her hand. She would be staying with him...but only for a few days.

Only long enough for arrangements to be made to move her to Central.

Would she begin a relationship with her father? She doubted it.

His job would demand too much of him, wouldn't it?

Raine had only met the man a few times in her life.

She was Fuhrer Roy Mustang's best kept secret.

Sure, she always got a card and some money for her birthday that said it was from him. Though she knew if it wasn't for Riza Hawkeye, she wouldn't even be getting that.

No. She wasn't going to go to Central. Raine couldn't go on without her mother. And what of her grandfather? He couldn't live on his own. He was sickly, and hard headed. She always thought she got it from him.

Raine glanced up at him with eyes as green as emeralds. They were her mothers. Except for the jet black hair upon her head, she was the splitting image of the woman.

"Are you ready to go back home?" he asked her in his own gentle way.

Raine sighed, looking back at the freshly filled in grave, "I think I need some time alone, grandfather."

The older man nodded, "Take your time, Rainey. I will have dinner ready for you when you get home."

"Thank you, grandfather." she said, hugging him before he left her alone with her thoughts.

She had went through the stages. Denial, anger, guilt, acceptance. Of course, the acceptance part wasn't something she was happy with.

Her black hair was not the only thing she had gotten from her father.

Alchemy.

Her mother would always be happy for her when she accomplished something with her alchemic abilities.

_You are more like him than what you know_

She would say, a smile on her face, but in her eyes Raine could see the pain that was there. She had really loved him, but his heart still belonged to another.

"I know I can't do it without you mom." she mumbled, "He doesn't want me. Why should he have to have me?"

She knew the potential consequences. She had heard of what had happened with the Elric brothers. It was quite the well known story in Amestris.

Human transmutation.

It had never been done successfully.

There was a first time for everything.

* * *

><p>Author Note: Please Review. The first three chapters are short, but that is because I'm not great at coming up with titles and such.<p> 


	2. Chapter 2: Consequences

There she stood, eyes downcast as she was unmoving in front of a large desk. It had been two weeks since her mother had died.

And one week since she had attempted the unthinkable.

Now, here she was, standing before her father. The man who had very little to do with her as she grew up.

"You knew the law! You knew what the consequences could be!" he yelled, "And you chose to do it anyway!"

"Yes sir." Raine mumbled.

"You do know that Human Transmutation is against the law, do you not?" he asked, sighing.

"Yes sir."

"How did you even find out how to do it? It was such a short amount of time."

"I poured into any material I could find." Raine said.

The Fuhrer rubbed his forehead with an audible sigh as he looked from his daughter to his right-hand woman, Riza Hawkeye.

Raine's eyes remained downcast.

Roy knew that he couldn't have his own daughter thrown into prison for her deeds. It would reflect badly on him, as the Fuhrer.

Not to mention, he couldn't blame her for wanting her mother back. Hawkeye reminded him just the night before that he had never been a father to Raine in the first place.

"You are lucky you made it out of there with your life." Mustang said.

"Some life it will be without arms." Raine mumbled.

"Well, that's Equivalent Exchange, isn't it?" Mustang asked, "In order to obtain, something of equal value must be lost."

"But I didn't _obtain _anything." Raine said.

"Perhaps you did. Perhaps you just do not know it yet." Mustang said, "I will be scheduling you fittings and surgery for automail."

"Automail? But...doesn't it take years to recuperate from that sort of procedure?" Raine asked.

"Maybe, but it's like you said. You will not have much of a life without arms." Mustang said, "Armstrong will be waiting to take you home."

Raine took that as her order to leave, and she exited the Fuhrer's office.

Roy leaned back in his chair with another frustrated sigh, "What am I going to do? I know nothing about being a father."

"Didn't I tell you that last night, sir?" Hawkeye asked.

"I suppose." Mustang said, "Running a country is easy compared to taking care of a child who hates me."

"She hates you for what you did to her mother." Riza said, "You cannot blame her, sir. Though I am sure she will come around in time."

"I hope you're right." Mustang said, "For now though, I believe it is a good thing to keep this you, myself, and Armstrong."

"Yes sir." Hawkeye said, "Though you may want to make sure that Brigadier General Armstrong knows that."

"Yes, I will make sure to do that." Mustang said.

In the car, on her their way back to the large home of the Fuhrer, Raine was silent.

Armstrong looked up at the rear view mirror, seeing the girl looking so down, "Comeon Miss, why the long face?"

"Huh?" Raine looked up, seeing him looking at her, "Oh, nothing."

"Well, it doesn't look like nothing." the General said.

"General Armstrong, watch the road." Raine said just as the man looked at the road and had to swerve to avoid an oncoming car.

He had been in the wrong lane.

"Whoa! That was a close one." Armstrong said.

"Brigadier General, what does it take?" Raine asked.

"Take for what, Miss Carsten?" Armstrong asked.

"To become a State Alchemist."

His eyes widened a bit, "It's not easy, Miss." he said, "Maybe you should take it up with the Fuhrer."

"When I have arms." Raine finished the sentence, or what she thought should be the end of the sentence.

"Well, yes..." Armstrong said.


	3. Chapter 3: Becoming Whole

"You know, when the Fuhrer called, I was quite shocked to hear what he had to say." A young man somewhere around twice her age said.

They sat in the living room of an old house in Resembool. According to her father, the woman of the house was a fantastic automail mechanic.

"He told you?" Raine asked, looking at the male, eyes wide.

"For good reason." the man said, "I too once attempted human transmutation." he said, "My brother and I."

"But, you have all your limbs..." Raine said.

"And I went through hell to get them back...as well as my brother's body."

"Wait...that sounds familiar." Raine said, "You...you couldn't be..."

"Edward Elric, the FullMetal Alchemist...or at least I used to be the FullMetal Alchemist." he said.

"...The sign says Rockbell Automail." Raine said.

Ed laughed a bit, "It's my wife's family business." he said, "She has been an automail mechanic for a long time now." he said.

"I am honored to meet you, but I do not need a lecture." Raine said.

"Well obviously." Ed said, "You have already learned your lesson, the arms say it all." he said, "The question is, what are you plans now?"

"I'm sorry, Mister Elric, but I have no plans to go after any sort of stone or way to gain back my arms." Raine said, "I'm finished trying to cheat fate."

"Well, that still doesn't answer the question I asked." Edward said.

"Well...I want to prove myself." she said, "To my father."

"Well, I am sure that, no matter who the man is, you will find a way to do that."

_So he doesn't know that Fuhrer Roy Mustang is my father_

"I do hope you are right, Mr. Elric." Raine said.

"Sorry to interrupt this conversation, but I have finished both of the arms." a woman said, coming into the living room.

Raine stood to her feet, "I am ready." she said.

"Are you sure? Are you sure you even want to do this?" the woman asked her.

"Yes ma'am." Raine said, "I need to do this. I need arms to be able to do what I need to."

"Suit yourself." Mrs. Elric said, "Follow me."

Raine nodded, doing as she was told.

Once on the operating table, Raine didn't remember much, just the excruciating pain that she was in as the automail arms were attatched.

Once the whole process was finished, Mrs. Elric looked down at the still conscience Raine, "You are strong." she said.

"Most grown men pass out from the pain." Ed said.

"The only person I remember not doing so was you, sweetheart." Winry said to Ed.

"Please do not sicken me while I'm in pain." Raine mumbled, rolling her eyes.

The two laughed.

"You should rest all you can." Winry said.

"You don't have to tell me twice, Mrs. Elric." Raine said.

It was days before she was awake enough to really know what was going on around her.

"The Elrics say that you did exceptionally well during the procedure." a voice said.

Raine looked around until her eyes landed on him. Fuhrer Mustang.

"What...what are you doing here?" she asked him.

"I was in the neighborhood." he said, "Visiting old friends."

_Yeah sure he was_.

"Why didn't you tell me you were sending me to the home of Edward Elric, FullMetal Alchemist?" Raine asked.

"His wife is a very talented automail mechanic. The fact that it was his home didn't seem important."

Raine rolled her eyes. She had been doing that a lot lately.

"He told me what you said." Roy told her.

"Great." she said, "I have only been in your care for a little over a week and already having a hard time keeping anything from you."

"You best get used to it, Raine." Roy said.


End file.
